Idiom
step on someone's toes
To avoid offending or interfering with someone's responsibilities or authority.
Meanings
To offend someone by intruding on their area of responsibility, authority, or by acting disrespectfully.
Definition
This idiom means you want to be careful not to upset someone or intrude on their area of responsibility. It implies a desire to act respectfully and avoid causing discomfort or conflict by overstepping your bounds. You often use it when you are about to do something that might be seen as interfering with another person's role.
Examples
- I didn't want to step on your toes, but I thought I should mention this potential problem with the report.
- The new manager was careful not to step on anyone's toes when she suggested changes to the long-standing procedures.
- He explained that he was just offering advice, not trying to step on her toes regarding her project's creative direction.
- We need to coordinate carefully on this task so that we don't accidentally step on each other's toes and duplicate efforts.
Common mistake
A common mistake is forgetting to use the correct possessive pronoun (e.g., "my," "your," "his," "her," "their") before "toes" to indicate whose boundaries are being respected.
Learn this in a path
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More verb phrases
- call it a day To decide to stop working or doing an activity for the remainder of the day.
- keep an eye on To watch someone or something continuously and carefully.
- read between the lines To understand the implicit meaning or unspoken message in what someone says or writes.
- make ends meet To earn just enough money to cover one's basic expenses.
- go the extra mile To make a special additional effort beyond what is expected.